


A Letter from Addermire

by Iron Moon (Erebia)



Category: Dishonored (Video Games)
Genre: Addermire Institute (Dishonored), F/M, Human Outsider (Dishonored), I miiiight write more, Low Chaos Emily Kaldwin, Post-Dishonored: Death of the Outsider, Rating May Change
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-08
Updated: 2019-04-17
Packaged: 2020-01-07 00:47:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,015
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18399719
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Erebia/pseuds/Iron%20Moon
Summary: He was staring without blinking, just like he used to back when she was a fugitive, when he had forced her to see the true face of her Empire. Back then, she had expected it. The enigmatic god of the Void staring into her soul, judging her worth before considering giving her his Mark. Now, it only unsettled her.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this a while ago and it was gathering dust in my docs folder... 
> 
> I swear this isn't a parody like last time! x3

“No vibrant colours, please."

The nurse stood patiently in front of Emily, his eyes pointedly looking at her burgundy scarf. “It may upset the patient,” the man explained, his tone flat and professional. She raised an eyebrow in response but did as she was told, managing to keep her hands from trembling as she reached up to pull at the fabric.

Hypatia’s letter had come at a busy time. Emily had been neck deep in paperwork about the new railways and the trading agreements with Tyvia, running between the court and the parliament every two days to get everyone's opinion with barely any breaks in between. Of course, sleep had also been rare and far too little, leaving her a tired mess that ran on sheer determination and some extra strong tonics - the kind the royal physician would disapprove of. Her days went by in a haze of politics and fatigue, so when she read the contents of the doctor’s letter, it felt like she was finally beginning to lose her grip on reality.

She blinked, distracted, as the nurse unlocked the door. He regarded her for a moment, hesitating, “Do you have no escort, ma'am? The patient can get...erratic. I can send for a guard if-” 

Emily cut him off, “That's very kind of you, but I can handle myself.” The man pursed his lips and looked away. He seemed nice enough but the lack of sleep combined with the turmoil caused by Hypatia’s letter was getting to her, turning her mood sour. She handed him the scarf and stepped inside the hospital room without another word. 

Nothing could have prepared her for what she saw inside.

The door closed behind her softly as she stood there frozen in near darkness. The room was luxurious - probably reserved for the more affluent patients of Addermire -, but there was barely any light inside. Addermire Institute was a modern building, equipped with whale oil powered lights and medical equipment - Emily had signed the grant for the institute’s annual whale oil needs herself. Even so, it was mid-afternoon and the karnacan sun was high in the sky, warm and blinding and able to provide more than enough light, and the room didn’t lack windows. No, the big glass balcony door had been covered with a thick curtain instead, the kind they used in the northern parts of the Empire where the sun would shine during the night for half of the year.

There was little furniture left inside, pushed to the corners and out of the way: a desk, a chair, a bedside table and a single bed. The bed had been moved around a lot, judging by the shape the carpet was in and the entire space smelled musty, like it hadn’t been aired in a while. 

The state of the room didn’t hold her attention for much longer, however. 

Something - someone - moved on the bed. The sheets rustled with the slight movement and Emily turned wide-eyed towards the sound, body stiff in alarm. Hypatia had informed her about who she was going to be meeting here, she had even gone into detail about the circumstances that had led to his arrival in the hospital; and yet, Emily couldn’t shake her own fear and disbelief as she laid eyes on the Outsider for the first time in months.

She didn’t move an inch when he reached for something on his nightstand; a box of matches, she realised, and the sound of friction was soon followed by a small flame and a lit candle. Pale long fingers shook slightly making some of the warm wax on the top spill down the sides of the candlestick and onto the metal pan below. He jumped, withdrawing his hand abruptly as if he’d been burned, yet Emily saw no trace of wax on his skin. Her gaze trailed upwards, over the stained simple white shirt he was wearing, over jutting collarbones she had never seen before and a long white scar that stretched across his throat. His eyes were green; a rare light green she had never seen before, but still evidently human, normal.

He was staring without blinking, just like he used to back when she was a fugitive, when he had forced her to see the true face of her Empire. Back then, she had expected it. The enigmatic god of the Void staring into her soul, judging her worth before considering giving her his Mark. Now, it only unsettled her. 

“It’s rude to stare, your Imperial Majesty,” His voice came out thin and raspy, like it hadn’t been used in a while, “Have you come to see the spectacle with your own eyes? A fallen god, brought low, unable to even keep up the pretense of normalcy. Am I-” A cough overtook him as he tried to keep talking. It shook him so violently Emily thought his frail body would break.

“Hypatia invited me.” She kept her tone neutral, her mind struggling to reconcile her memory of this man with the present version of him. He looked up at her again, after the coughing fit was over, wiping the traces of blood away from his mouth with his sleeve. Emily continued, “She thought I might be able to help you.”

The Outsider let out a weak chuckle, “Help? There’s nothing you can do, Empress.” With a push that seemed to take more effort than it should have, he brought himself closer to the edge of the bed. Candlelight bathed his features in warmer tones, giving his skin some of the color it lacked. Emily resisted the urge to take a step back. “I can’t even go outside. The sunlight hurts me, everything feels like it’s too much. Even this,” he motioned to the candle, “ I can’t stand its light for more than a few hours at a time.”

Emily’s mark itched at his proximity, probably a symptom of her nervousness about the situation. This wasn’t going to be easy, that much was obvious, but she had already made up her mind to talk to this man. She took her gloves off and threw them on the bedside table before dragging the chair close to the bed. She sat down, expression schooled, “If Hypatia thinks I can help, then I trust her.”

That seemed to pull a different emotion from him. Green eyes darkened dangerously and Emily felt herself panic for a second, wondering what she had said wrong. “Right, the doctor. Ever hopeful and smart, full of solutions and unending empathy.” He talked through gritted teeth, his gaze leaving her face for the first time, “She keeps trying to save me, like Billie Lurk did before her, like you are doing right now. But none of you truly cares about what I want.” his voice rose and quieted again, “There is a special kind of selfishness in helping others, knowing they depend on you, that  _ you _ have saved them. I don’t want your pity.”

Emily tried not to acknowledge his accusations, “Then what do you want?”

He didn’t answer immediately. His face softened and he seemed to focus on something else. Slowly, he reached out a hand, long fingers brushing against her knuckles. As they traced the faded Mark, she tried to keep still, part of her fascinated by the fact that the man from her nightmares, her dreams, was touching her. Another part wanted to stand up and bolt out the door as reality finally sank in; the Outsider was human again, cooped up in a room in Addermire Institute, talking to her, and this time she was wide awake. 

The Mark felt warm, almost as warm as when she first got it, warmer than the skin of the one who marked her. Her powers buzzed, rekindled by his touch, in a way that made Emily’s head swim. She almost didn’t hear his reply.

“I wanted it to end.”

She tensed, “No.” 

He made eye contact and her heart dropped. Overwhelming despair filled her, clogged up her throat - like drowning in the endless ocean, held down by the waves, unable to resurface -. She blinked trying to shake the foreign emotion off. How could anyone feel like this and keep breathing? 

The Outsider didn’t notice. 

“That’s what Billie said.” The corner of his mouth twitched slightly as if he couldn’t remember how to smile. “When I came out of the Void I didn’t feel the difference right away. I just felt...tired. Then the sun I had longed to see with my real eyes for so long burned me, the air was too rich, the sounds and the smells and anything I touched would make me nauseous. It only got worse after that.”

“She was right,” Emily tried to sound stern. A myriad of different thoughts and feelings swam in her head, warning bells going off at what she was about to suggest, but it only felt right. “I can see that your time in Addermire hasn’t helped you in the least.” She stood, her posture regal, and moved to the covered up window, “You’re coming with me to Dunwall. If that doesn’t work I can arrange for a visit to Tyvia.”

She heard shuffling behind her as she reached for the curtain, followed by the sound of bare feet touching the floor. Emily pulled at the heavy fabric, letting a few rays of light through. Then, she peeked over her shoulder at the Outsider, “It’s your choice, of course. I won’t force you.”

He was standing now, staring at her with confusion written all over his face. It would be highly amusing, seeing the all-knowing Outsider at a loss for words, if not for how grim his condition was. 

“Why?”, was all he managed to ask after a full minute of silence.

Emily shrugged, deciding to give him a half-truth, “You’ve lived for a few millennia, your knowledge of the Isles and the rest of the world is invaluable. I could use an advisor like you.” 

He fiddled with his bloodied sleeve, green eyes staring at the single ray of sunshine spilling across the carpet. “Dr. Hypatia agreed to this?”

Emily nodded. She had talked to the doctor before visiting him, albeit briefly. Hypatia wasn’t the one she’d have trouble convincing about this matter. As if he’d read her mind, the Outsider spoke up again, tone dripping with sarcasm, “I bet Corvo would be thrilled to see me again.”

Emily tried to keep the grimace off her face, “Don’t worry about my father. He’ll see things my way after I explain your role in the Tower.” At least she hoped he would. Corvo was the most stubborn man she knew and if he was against this arrangement he’d tell her so immediately and keep at it until she changed her mind. She held back a sigh and resigned herself to solving this later. “I have to return to Dunwall soon, so I need your answer by tomorrow.”

With that Emily made for the door, pausing to grab her gloves from the nightstand, before turning the handle. The nurse was waiting on the other side and she began to wonder how much of their conversation he’d heard and whether he was to be trusted, when a hand wrapped around her wrist.

“Wait,” the man who used to be the Outsider looked at her with wide green eyes, something resembling hope in his gaze, “I accept.”

Emily smiled and took his hand in hers. “Then I’ll see you tomorrow.”


	2. Chapter 2

Corvo watched from his place on the ramparts as the Sparrow approached the waterlock. The ship slid silently to a halt, its bow splitting the dark waters of Wrenhaven river before stopping just outside the boundary marked by the buoys. Its dark hull glinted fiery red in the dying sunlight, the sharp design reminiscent of a bird - much like its namesake. It was nowhere near the size of the Imperial Navy ships anchored near it, but what it lacked in size it made up for in speed and stealth – which was part of the reason Emily had requested it made and was so fond of it. The ship made no sound, gave no indication of its arrival - possibly on his daughter’s orders. A wise decision on her part, Corvo mused, because the small vessel tended to stick out like a sore thumb. 

The wind slowly died down, a veil of heavy clouds covering what little sky remained and a low rumble in the distance made his gaze snap east. Corvo smiled despite the stress his daughter’s absence had put him under. Leave it up to Emily to arrive just in time for a storm. 

Familiar measured footsteps started coming down the stairs behind him. 

“Lord Protector,” he half turned. The officer stopped a few steps away, her posture formal, “most of the personnel has already left the Tower, as you requested. The remaining guards know to stay away from the main entrance and the main hall.”

Corvo gave her a curt nod in acknowledgement, eager to keep watching, “Good work, Officer Thorpe. The Empress should be arriving shortly.” He appreciated Marzia Thorpe and her tendency to follow orders to the letter, as well as her respect for privacy. She was a pleasant person to be around most of the time and excellent at her job despite her young age, but Corvo wasn’t in the mood for small talk.

Emily had briefly mentioned a letter from Dr. Hypatia a few weeks ago, face pale in what he could only describe as shock, before hastily packing a bag and jumping in the Sparrow. She had left nothing behind that could give him a clue about the situation, not even the letter itself, and he had been forced to spend those weeks in constant uncertainty, fearing the worst. The first time he had heard anything from her was today, in the form of a note, asking him to dismiss as many people as possible and only keep those he deemed trustworthy around for her arrival. Emily had a lot of explaining to do.

He suppressed a sigh and turned back towards Wrenhaven river, eyes landing on the Sparrow. There was nothing to be done about it now, not until he saw Emily herself come out of that ship safe and sound. Officer Thorpe seemed to take his silence as a sign of dismissal because a few moments later he heard her steady footsteps retreating up the stairs. Just in time too; he could see movement on the deck of the ship.

It was getting harder to see. Sunset was giving way to dusk and the approaching storm clouds had stifled out most of the natural light, yet Corvo could make out three figures approaching the dock side of the ship. Two - one of which seemed to be wearing a cloak a few sizes too big - boarded the skiff that was tied there, while the third began lowering it to the water. Another rumble sounded, this time closer, just as the skiff hit the surface of the river.

It started raining.

In the blink of an eye, the cloaked figure moved, frantically, as if they were trying to burrow into the skiff for cover, making the driver - who he assumed to be Emily judging by the height and clothes - startle and turn around. She shouted something and the other passenger replied, eventually settling down. 

Corvo watched the scene with a raised eyebrow but the tension had left his shoulders. Now that Emily was back he was certain he could deal with whatever problem she had dragged with her all the way from Serkonos. He took one last look at the skiff before making his way into the waterlock proper.

The rain was louder inside, the roof of the building amplifying the sound. Corvo nodded in greeting towards the two workers manning the controls and stood a few feet back from the railing. It didn’t take long for the skiff to arrive. The gate of the waterlock began closing behind it, the metal gears whining as they turned - another sign of how rarely this waterlock had been used in the past few years - , until it was sealed shut. Despite knowing he was going to forget about it as soon as his daughter stepped foot back in Dunwall, Corvo made a mental note to request repairs for the obviously rusting mechanism. 

“Lift her up!” One of the men shouted to the other and soon the noise of pressurised water drowned out his thoughts along with every other sound in the building. The water came out of the pipes in a torrent, flooding the waterlock and propelling the small craft upwards like a more humid version of an elevator. Corvo brought his arms behind his back, suddenly nervous.  

“Father!” Emily gave him a blinding smile, jumping out of the skiff as soon as it had stopped moving. He managed a small smile in return, trying to suppress the million questions he had for the moment, and opened his arms. She hugged him tight for a few beats, then she took a step back, biting her lip in a way he recognised from when she was a teen and about to be in trouble, “I’m so sorry.”

Before Corvo could ask her what she was apologising for, the second passenger of the skiff had made it out and was now standing behind Emily. She stepped to the side, eyes wide and darting between them.

Corvo stared dumbfounded at the man as he pulled the hood of his cloak back. “Hello, Corvo.”

 

\----

 

“What in the Void were you thinking, Emily?” Corvo didn’t even try to keep his voice down. He had managed to bite his tongue all the way from the waterlock to Emily’s office, barely keeping himself from dragging his daughter by the ear across the courtyard. He hadn’t even reacted when the Outsider - the damned Outsider  _ himself _ \- had stood in front of him, scrawny looking and sick, yet somehow still every bit as smug as he remembered him. In fact, Corvo hadn’t even spoken a single word to him.

Emily threw a quick wide-eyed glance at the shut door, “Father, please. He’s right outside.”

“I know. What I can’t figure out is  _ why. _ ”

She shook her head, “We didn’t speak much during the journey. He… hasn’t been very forthcoming.” He was about to speak again but she cut him off, “What I do know is, he’s sick. Dr Hypatia asked for my help because he wasn’t getting better. So,” she paused, steeling herself, “I offered him a job.”

Corvo blinked, “A job.”

“Yes, a job. Do you know anybody more valuable than a former god?” Emily gave him her usual self-assured stare, the one she used every time she knew she was about to win an argument in Parliament.

He huffed, his frustration mounting. This was the Outsider they were talking about and Corvo trusted the man about as far as he could throw him.

“You’ve clearly lost your mind, Emily. Did he even tell you how he ended up like that?”

“He mentioned Billie Lurk.” Emily avoided his gaze as she spoke - definitely aware of his worsening mood -, keeping her hands busy with the pile of documents that had gathered on her desk during her absence. “Please, take a seat first.”

Corvo narrowed his eyes at this new piece of information. Billie Lurk somehow being involved in this wasn’t a good sign. He was grateful to the former assassin for helping Emily during Delilah’s coup, possibly even saving her life by being in the right place at the right time, but he wasn’t as forgiving as his daughter. Exhaling through his nose in an effort to calm down, he pulled forward the chair reserved for visitors on the other side of the desk and sat down. He gestured for her to continue. 

“From what I’ve gathered so far, Billie Lurk was on a quest to kill him. I don’t know what it was but something must’ve changed her mind along the way because, as you saw for yourself, he’s still very much alive,” Emily paused, searching his face for a reaction, before continuing, “When he started showing signs of illness she left him in the care of Dr Hypatia.” 

He drummed his fingers against the wooden desk, letting his daughter’s words sink in. The answer, to him, was obvious,  “That was probably his plan all along.” 

“No.” Her tone was firm.

Corvo scowled. Emily was naturally soft hearted but she wasn’t stupid; there was a seriousness in her demeanor he hadn’t expected. “He’s always been calculating and manipulative, Emily. You don’t know what’s going on in that twisted head of his.”

“You weren’t the only one he marked, Father.” She raised her covered left hand to emphasise her point, “I ask you to trust me on this. If he turns out to be lying I’ll deal with the consequences on my own, I promise you that.” Her eyes drifted back to the door, “He’s powerless now. He’s not even healthy as a mortal so I doubt this grand plan of his involved ending up stuck inside a room in Addermire.”

“Emily…,” he started, more softly this time, “even if there’s no ulterior motive to his actions, nobody lives for a few millennia trapped in the Void and comes out the other side unscathed. I won’t pretend I know what that’s like, but he’s something far beyond you and I.”

“I am aware. Which is why I’m making him a royal adviser.”

His daughter had  _ definitely _ lost her mind.

“He asked for this? And you agreed?” Corvo couldn’t hide his disbelief. Usually he trusted Emily to make the right choice, but this? This wasn't like her.

“I suggested it!” She pushed her chair back and stood up, clearly offended, “He knows things about people not even you could find out about. He’s seen in their heads and I need that. Why do you so insist on this conspiracy on his part?”

“Because he does know, Emily. You’re right about that. And yet, he never acts. What makes you think he’s going to change that for you?” The silence that followed his words was deafening and Corvo realised belatedly that they had been shouting. Moments later, he heard the door click open and saw Emily’s face fall.

“I would expect the royal family to have better manners than this,” the Outsider made a disapproving sound, “Talking about me behind my back is so very rude.” He strolled into the room, still wrapped in that ridiculously big cloak. Corvo had avoided looking at him for too long earlier, but now he found he couldn’t look away.

There was nothing “divine” about him anymore. He looked starved and in desperate need of a bath, so much so that had it not been for his distinct features and manner, he could’ve passed for a common beggar. Nonetheless, Corvo wasn’t about to let his guard down, “Still listening in to other people’s conversations I see. Old habits die hard.”

What must have started out as a chuckle turned into a violent coughing fit. Corvo watched him wipe his mouth on his cloak, the stubble on his chin catching on the scratchy fabric. He spoke again, slightly out of breath, “Is that how you greet an old friend, Corvo?”

"What did you expect? A welcome party?" he didn’t bother masking the venom in his voice despite his better judgement. Emily caught his eye for a second, the look of disapproval on her face so perfectly identical to Jessamine’s it was enough to give him pause.

“Enough, both of you.” She stepped forward putting herself physically between them once more. “Father, we’ll talk again later.” She turned to the Outsider, “And you, you must be hungry. Follow me.”

To his surprise, the former god simply nodded and turned to follow his daughter outside the office. With one last look behind him, the Outsider added in the most sincere tone Corvo had ever heard him use, “It’s really good to see you well, Corvo.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hirvi held me at gunpoint and made me write more. 
> 
> This might be turning into a multichapter fic and I'm *terrified* D:


End file.
